Lithium-ion batteries are commonly used as energy storage devices in a variety of applications. The cathode architectures and materials have a large influence on the performance of lithium-ion batteries, namely power and energy densities. Three-dimensional bicontinuous cathode structures should help improve the charge and discharge rate performances, while maintaining a high energy capacity. By...

A well-designed nanostructure of transition metal oxides has been regarded as a key to solve their problems of large volume changes during lithium insertion-desertion processes which are associated with pulverization of the electrodes and rapid capacity decay. Here we report an effective approach for the fabrication of porous iron oxide ribbons by controlling the nucleation and growth of iron p...

The 3D flowerlike iron sulfide (F-FeS) is successfully synthesized via a facile one-step sulfurization process, and the electrochemical properties as anode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are investigated. Compared with bulk iron sulfide, we find that the unique structural features, overall flowerlike structure, composed of several dozen nanopetals and numerous small size iron sulfid...

34 T he materials in anodes and cathodes within a lithium-ion battery affect voltage, capacity, and battery life. When a battery is discharging, the lithium ions move from the anode into the cathode. During the charging process, that movement is reversed. Electrolytes conduct the lithium ions and serve as a carrier between the cathode and the anode when electric currents pass through an externa...

We designed a facile one-pot method to synthesize iron oxide/activated carbon nanotubes (IO/ACNTs) using as-prepared carbon nanotubes (APCNTs) modified by alkali solid-activation. The open-ended CNTs and iron oxide loading could be realized in one step. The resulting IO/ACNT hybrids, as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), exhibited high reversible lithium storage capacity and ex...

We report on the synthesis and characterization of functional silica hybrid magnetic nanoparticles (SHMNPs). The co-condensation of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in presence of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) leads to hybrid magnetic silica particles that are surface-functionalized with primary amino groups. In this work, a comprehe...